Reflections regarding Sunday August 25, 2024 in Berlin, Germany
We slept in on Sunday knowing that we would have a very busy day ahead. The most important destination of the day was Tiergarten Park. The boys were desperate to run around and play on a playground. Tiergarten Park is akin to New York City’s Central Park. It is a vast green space with multiple spaces dedicated to sculpture art, frolicking in the grass, a kid’s playground area, and so much more. It is a breathtaking reprieve from the bustling city and other tourists. After a very, very late breakfast (more like early lunch), which included a stop at Starbucks, we took a bus to the park. The boys had a field day playing on the playground. There was a zipline, a tall climbing structure, and a “really fast and bumpy” slide. All on a bed of sand. Once more, our children were the feral looking ones running around without their socks and shoes making a sand slide so that they could slide even faster. They were in heaven. Eventually, we needed to begin our way back into town to see the rest of the sites on our list, and, becoming increasingly important, to find food.
At Brandenburg Gate I gave them a mini-history lesson on the symbolic history of the gate and showed the boys pictures of the area before and after the Berlin Wall fell. We had been talking about the Berlin Wall since we arrived in Berlin. We even passed the Berlin Wall Memorial on the way to shul on Friday evening and Rabbi Shlomi and his daughter pointed out a tunnel Berliners used to move illegally and discreetly between East and West Berlin. Grasping the idea of a wall dividing an entire city was a challenge. The significance of where we were standing in that moment was still too abstract for them to comprehend. As far as they could tell, the Brandenburg Gate was a massive edifice that made for a funny looking gate.
I was in awe and wanted to stay longer, but hungry stomachs were rumbling. Obligatory picture taken and we set off to find the only vegan place within walking distance according to my Google Maps search. The boys enjoyed their very vegan burgers and fries. Chaim and I were pleased to see them devouring the food. That is until Chaim realized that we may have stumbled upon a vehemently militant vegan place that lauded previous members for being arrested while protesting the cruel treatment of animals. We wondered if, perhaps, we accidentally ended up supporting something with which we didn’t fully agree. Our consolation, the boys ate beautifully and there would be no whining about being hungry for at least a few hours.
From the restaurant we stopped for ice cream before walking back toward the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Along the way we chanced upon the free Volvo Iconic exhibit. According to the boys, it was the best exhibit by far. From my perspective, it seemed like it took my childhood and turned everything I grew up with into a fossil. It felt strange seeing what I thought of as “normal, everyday items” appear so unique and novel to my children. While I was contemplating my age and whether I felt old or was being made to feel old, the boys had a blast walking around looking at “iconic” cars like the Volkswagen Beetle, listening to “iconic” music like David Bowie’s “White Wedding”, playing “iconic” games like Pong, and more. On one wall, there was a video of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Amichai and I stopped to watch it. In that moment, I witnessed him process the gravity of the Berlin Wall and its fall. The questions began to poor in. Why was there a wall? What did the different sides do? Why was it different? How did it happen? Why did it fall? So many good questions. It would become the topic of one of his future journal entries.
We realized the day was quickly getting away from us and Chaim still needed to go to shul for his father’s yerzheit. We walked quickly to the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe. After reviewing proper etiquette for walking around the memorial, we let the boys roam freely. The memorial reminded me of the Lynching Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. The weight of the unjust killings and the enormity of it all could be felt as the “elevation” gradually changed. What appeared first as graves or coffins morphed into what could have been towering tombstones or smokestacks reminiscent of the death camps.
Somewhere in the middle of it all, we stopped to talk about what we were walking through. It was not an easy conversation to have with the boys. I have never shied away from talking about the Holocaust or any other Jewish tragedy with them. These events and stories are an important part of our history. Rather than claim victimhood these tragedies teach us that no matter what happens we come from a resilient people. Still, we didn’t go into great detail about the Holocaust because the twins are only seven years old. The word “murder” was enough for them to know that what happened was evil. Of course, they are still children. Their ability to stay in this kind of moment is fleeting. Fifteen minutes later we walked out of the memorial and began our way back to a train station.
At night it was so hot none of the boys could sleep. A circus once again. Amichai needed two showers to cool down. Eitan had another nosebleed and still couldn’t breathe. Matanel wanted to play. Shai just wanted to cuddle with me. I don’t know when the circus ended, but I was grateful we were together, safe and sound in that moment.
